Following on from our very successful trip to Snowdonia in June last year, with a record 30 tourists, we are revisiting Northumberland, which the club first toured in 2009. It is a very beautiful area and sparsely populated but very friendly I’m told. Lovely hills, wonderful beaches, castles etc etc. Due to its position just below the Scottish border, not many of us have visited, so don’t miss this great opportunity.
To confirm your place, transfer £50 deposit to the usual TWH bank account (reference – your surname / club tour) by the end of January (and email me to confirm).
The tour dates are Thursday 15th June to Monday 19th June, but like always, you can decide to leave on the Sunday and be back to work on the Monday should you so choose. There is also 1 or 2 who arrive late on Friday, after work.
Due to the distances involved, the tour has been extended from 4 to 5 days to give plenty of time to experience as much as possible of what the area has to offer.
Those of you have been on tour previously know the tours have a history of being convivial and great fun. The run routes can be pretty tough at times, however they are suitable for all fitness levels and also for walkers. Those on tour can adapt the routes to suit their own enjoyment levels in terms of distance and pace. Maps are provided and we keep to groups for the company and safety.
We leave on Thursday morning and stop off at nice country pub en route for a relaxing lunch and arrive at The Sill Youth Hostel at about 5pm. We then have a run of 6 – 8 miles along Hadrian’s Wall, followed by dinner at a fabulous brewery/restaurant called Twice Brewed just a short walk from our hostel and just down the road from our club yogi, Claire Hayhurst Knowles.
Friday, after a hearty breakfast we will do a 10-15 mile run/walk devised by Claire which will be bigger on scenery than hills, as we need to leave plenty of fuel in the tank for the big Saturday run. Afterwards we will drive up to Wooler YH which we have taken over and offers us a range of shared rooms and shepherds huts. It has space for about 50 people so we should be able to spread out nicely for our 3 nights there. Dinner at a local pub to follow.
Saturday is an all day off road run in the Cheviots. The long run will be in the region of 20 miles and there will be a shorter run of about 15 miles. After returning to HQ we re-group and head off for a nice dinner at a big serving local Italian restaurant. Further refreshments are available in town for the strong and the willing.
Sunday is a bit more relaxed and generally involves a gentle run (quite possibly a flat 10 mile circular coastal run/walk to take in the delights of Bamburgh and Seahouses with a pub lunch) and/or perhaps some other activities that we can come up with. There is the option to return back to Kent on Sunday after breakfast or after the morning run and lunch, though most Harriers stay the Sunday night to pursue some light activity on Monday like a visit to Bamburgh castle and the Holy Island before the long drive home.
In terms of costings, bed and breakfast is approx £40pp per night. Also allow for a share of transport costs to and from Northumberland, say £50 per person in a shared car plus food and drinks while out there.
We usually get a group of about 20 to 30. While nice to see “experienced” tourists returning, it is always good to get some new faces as well. The hostel has plenty of space so we would like a bumper turnout this year.
Looking forward to hearing from you (I’m usually at the club on Wednesdays for a run and drink if you want to chat about it).
Yours in running touring,
Geoff Turner
